2016 NY Boys XC Preview: Class B

A team and a runner from Class B made big headlines in the 2015 throughout the season and throughout New York. The team was a Pittsford Mendon squad that was intent on becoming the first to win three straight Class B champions since Fox Lane in 1967. Starting with a huge win in the McQuaid AA race in early October, the Vikings kept right on going until they captured that third state championship in a close battle with a game Maine-Endwell team. The news-making runner was Carthage's Noah Affolder who had the fastest time at McQuaid while winning the AA race, and he would go on a week later to win the renowned Manhattan Eastern States race and later his second straight States title and the Foot Locker Northeast qualifier on route to a 15th place at Nationals.

And now it's 2016, and the family of Affolder and his younger brother Sam have moved to Pennsylvania, Pittsford Mendon is being besieged by unruly challengers to their Class B throne, and the world's turned upside down. And whether the Vikings agree that change is good, one thing for sure is that their quest for a fourth straight title will make for exciting times in New York this year.

Pittsford Mendon's challenges will start at home in its Section 5 Class B region, because after losing three key runners from last year's varsity, the Vikings will need to pull some big efforts from the pack of seniors behind frontrunner Nathan Lawler and also hope that some new young runners join the crew. Section 5 contenders including Brighton, Brockport, and Honeoye Falls-Lima are all hoping that the time is right to end the Vikings' streak.

Another good battle is also being set up in Section 1, where Somers is looking to avenge a 1-point loss to Pearl River in sectionals last year and turn the tables this season on a talented but very young Pirates squad. In Section 6, an East Aurora team that terrorized most of the state's big teams last year from its base down in Class C has now moved up to B, though with a heavily depleted squad. In Section 4, last year's States B runner-up Maine-Endwell is also looking to regroup after the loss of frontrunner Dan Schaffer, an NXN finalist last year. But the team that Pittsford Mendon is likely to be most wary of is over in Section 2, where a dangerous Burnt Hills team has a trio of talented sophomores in the command position, which has to spell trouble for everyone else for years to come.

After surging to a 2nd place at last year's States, Pittsford Mendon lead guy Nathan Lawler starts the season with the highest ratings, but he will likely be having some spirited battles at McQuaid, Manhattan, Monroe County, sectionals, etc. with Brighton's Paul Dellinger, who finished 5th at States. Two Section 6 guys Chris Nowak of Sweet Home and Ian Russ of East Aurora are also expected to be making a lot of noise out west.

Class B seems to be a lot less predictable this year, but one thing that's easy to predict is that we are going to have a lot of fun watching as the action goes crazy wild this year.